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Audio Archive of Robert Moevs Complete in RUcore

January 9, 2018

Robert Moevs.

The Libraries recently completed the Robert Moevs Sound Archive project, which involved uploading 193 audio files and their metadata into RUcore. The files may be found through the RUcore website or search engines like Google. The audio was digitized mostly from reel-to-reel and cassette tapes to preserve the material while making it more easily accessible. The metadata is visible to anyone, and the audio can be accessed from computers in Douglass Library.

Robert Moevs (1920–2007) served on the faculty of Rutgers University from 1964 to 1991, and as chair of the Music Department from 1974 to 1981. Accolades include fellowships, residencies, and awards from the American Academy in Rome, Guggenheim, the National Institute of Arts and Sciences, ASCAP, and the Stockhausen International Prize in Composition. The creator of a rich body of orchestral, chamber, vocal and instrumental music, Moevs's work received major performances by George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra, Erich Leinsdorf and the Boston Symphony, and Leonard Bernstein and Symphony of the Air. He was also a beloved teacher whose students include Richard Wilson at Vassar College and Judith Shatin at the University of Virginia.

The Moevs Sound Archive ensures the preservation of the composer’s music and the style he represents for generations to come. Modernist composers sought to challenge and expand the horizons of the listener; as teachers, they significantly impacted the scholarly study of music. Digitization and metadata creation was supported by the Moevs endowment, which generously supports conferences and concerts on twentieth-century modernist music.

Music and performing arts librarian Jonathan Sauceda worked on this project with support from additional library faculty and staff, including Rhonda Marker, Janice Pilch, Thomas Izbicki, Rachael Lansang, and Esther Zenzele.